The following is a condensed version of this website written by Casey Butt Ph.D. I wanted to cut down what he said in a paragraph for each rule but each rule is just packed with so much information it became impossible. below is my version, mostly his words but I have rearranged some stuff.
Background / Why this information is trustworthy.
Casey Butt has been in the bodybuilding game for decades. On his website, you can find links to his e-book, if you are inclined to buy it. They are tons of resources on the site for measuring and calculating body and diet measurements. He presents all his Rules himself on the link above with greater depth. I printed them off and ended up with over 30 pages of text. Casey on himself; “If you sense that as arrogance and don’t like my attitude then I don’t care either – leave my site and read some bullshit elsewhere that you find more pleasant. I couldn’t care less who likes me, doesn’t like me, approves or disapproves of anything I say here. But remember this: I’ve been there, got the T-shirt, learned the hard way and I’m here to help.”
Steriods
The elephant in the room. I’m no doctor but I believe if used correctly they can be safe, and you will reach your goals faster. To use or not to use is not the point of this article henceforth Steroid talk will be considered off-topic.
Rule #1 Don’t Be Mislead by 99% of What You Read on the Internet or in Magazines and Books
The vast majority of what’s in popular “print” is, for the most part, useless to you. Supplements and special ‘tailored’ programs are bullshit. The fitness industry revolves around getting the most money out of suckers. Most of the people who write the articles “you couldn’t scrape a teaspoon full of muscle off of ’em.” If you believe anything else, then you are a naive fool who needs to grow up and get with the real world. Beginners and experienced trainees alike simply cannot tell what’s appropriate for them. You have about as much in common with the average pro bodybuilder as you do with a lowland Gorilla. Look at people like Jay Cutler anything he sells to look like him is 99% bullshit. He is on a lot of drugs. Conversely, if you won the genetic lottery, you may one day look like Reg Park a pre-steroids era bodybuilder.
If someone on an internet discussion board who calls himself “buff-, flex-, doctor-, professor-, extreme-, huge-, etc” and uses a fake photo in his profile gives you advice or makes claims, remember one thing – he’s probably weaker and fatter than you. Most personal trainers’ credentials come from a weekend seminar which they attended. If they don’t look like they know what they are talking about they don’t 99% of the time. Be very careful whose advice you take seriously. Your training success (or failure) may depend on it.
Rule #2: Avoid Exercise Machines
Since life started on Earth, all living creatures have been lifting their own weight against gravity. That is what our bodies are designed for and have evolved to do. No Machine can replace you pressing, pushing or pulling your own body. Adding weights enable you to ‘increase’ gravity. Machines try to sell you on tailor resistance curves and removing the awkwardness of lifting. It’s bullshit. Your body isn’t designed for tailor curves, and your muscle fibers at the ends of the ROM(range of motion) are only capable of a fraction of the force of the mid-range. Tailored resistance, is likely to decrease overall growth, by unnecessarily fatiguing fibers in states of elongation, rather than working at the mid-range. Squats, Deadlifts, various Presses, and Rows are the lifts that spike testosterone and growth hormone release the most. Past studies show; very act of lifting an unguided (i.e. “free”) weight recruits more muscle fibers than performing the same movement on a guided machine.
Rule #3: Genetics DO Matter – But WHO CARES!
Some people will progress much faster than others. But there’s nothing you can do about your genetic inheritance – so GET OVER IT. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Everyone can build an impressive physique. If you stick with it you WILL progress, you can improve yourself incredibly. One thing is for sure, you won’t know until you try and you won’t get anywhere complaining about your “bad” genetics.
Rule #4: Don’t Train More Often Than Three Days Per Week If You’re Trying to Build Maximum Muscle Mass and Strength
For brevity, I won’t go into when you would want to train more than 3 times a week. This is about getting as big as fast as possible, 5-6 days/week programs are usually weight-loss programs and not optimal for building muscle mass. To build maximum muscle mass [training 3 times a week] all that’s needed and is, by far, the best approach for most genetically typical drug-free trainees trying to get bigger and stronger. Unless you are very genetically gifted, you do not have the hormone levels or joint structures to train more often and make maximum progress in size and strength. Everyone knows you build muscle when you are resting so let your body rest. Reg Park, pictured above trained 3 times a week. At his peak, he weighed 230lb(104kg) of solid muscle. He was the first person ever to bench 500lbs (226kg.) How many men do you know that can bench 5 plates? Zero? Still, want to train 6 days a week? It’s your life.
Rule #5: Do Mostly Compound, Multi-Joint Exercises
The core of your routine should use large masses of muscle and the movement of several joints. Those exercises stimulate a lot of muscle and cause your body to release anabolic hormones. That means stuff like Squats, Deadlifts, Bent-Over Rows, Bench Presses, Overhead Presses, Dips, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, and Pull-Ups. If you fill your routine with isolation exercises, you are wasting your time in the gym. (more on that in Rule #6) Putting hard work into the compound exercises, on the other hand, and you will be rewarded with the fastest muscle growth possible. Places to use isolation exercises; abs, lower back, rotator cuff muscles. Still, aim to use free weights to train these muscles.
Rule #6: Keep Your Workouts To An Hour Or Less, Most Of The Time
Testosterone levels (the body’s main anabolic hormone) start to decline after about 45 to 60 minutes of intense weight training and catabolic (muscle destroying) hormones such as cortisol start to increase. Prolonged training requires the adrenal glands to produce elevated levels of epinephrine, cortisol, and aldosterone. Over time, excessive training results in decreased adrenergic receptor sensitivity (making fat loss difficult and fat gain easier) and adrenal fatigue (as evidenced by fluctuating average daily body temperatures, decreasing blood pressure, low energy, joint pain and muscle loss) If those symptoms sound familiar, maybe time to cut down the length of your workouts. Practically all modern natural bodybuilding champions obey this guideline. 90% of your muscle mass will be built in hard workouts that last =<1 hour. If you must go for longer (not recommended). Don’t think you can get away with eating like a mouse. One of the necessities of hard training is a big appetite. Big weights = big feeds.
But some drug-free bodybuilders train for 3 hours. 1) Genetics, if you won the lottery, you would know and wouldn’t be reading this. 2) Short-term pre-competition bodybuilder routines aren’t going to build maximum muscle. 3) Bodybuilders are often portrayed as superhumans, people lying about how long the pros train for to reinforce this. 95% of people reading this have no reason to work out longer than an hour.
Rule #7: Strive For Perfect Exercise Form
Cheating your reps builds nothing but ego – not muscle. If you have to cheat that means the weight’s too heavy for you to lift properly. Cheating does not make a muscle contract harder because you can use heavier weights. When you start deviating from the proper form you open the door for a potentially serious injury. Advanced trainer (lifting for 2+ years min.) can get away with ‘controlled cheating’ you should avoid it like the plague. To keep bashing on about Reg Park, he cheated on form consistently by his 30’s his body was riddled with nagging injuries. He recovered by going back to strict form and went on to win Mr. Universe again.
Rule #8: Ignore The Guy Next To You
Don’t be insecure. Don’t focus on another guy at the gym. He’s not you, you’re not him. Don’t start cheating so you can use more weight. If he’s using bad form and cheating a lot then that’s his mistake. Remember the tortoise and the hare. If you work hard enough, long enough, and never, never, ever quit, you’ll get there too – well-built, safely and in proper form. HAVE PATIENCE!
Rule #9: Spend Your Money On Plenty Of Good Food – NOT The Latest Supplement
Supplements did not make you huge. Go back and read Rules #1 and #3. The industry is big money. The athletes are paid to advertise those supplements. Stacks are bullshit to get you to buy a whole bunch of supplements at once. Remember 0 + 0 = 0. Any effect you see maybe a placebo effect. If you want supplements with results just get some roids. That’s what they call supplements that work. Steroids or Prohormones.
Non-bullshit supplements; Multi-vitamins containing trace minerals you may not be getting in your diet. Vitamins like C and D which have peer-reviewed studies backing them up. Shout-outs to Fish Oil and Creatine virtually the only non-vitamin/mineral that I would recommend. Think of these as a back-up to a good diet nothing more.
Examine.com is a great site build by a bodybuilder, Ph.D. nutritionist, to uncover the bullshit surrounding supplements.
If you have some extra money spend it on some steak (or other good, high protein foods like milk, eggs, fish, liver, yogurt, etc). Some supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, Which leads me to the next rule…If you have some extra money spend it on some steak (or other good, high protein foods like milk, eggs, liver, yogurt, etc), not on the latest fad – no matter how enticing the advertising is. Some supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, protein powder, desiccated liver and perhaps creatine are worthwhile and convenient, but they don’t perform miracles.
Rule #10: Eat More Good, Nutritious Foods, And High-Quality Protein
Weight trainers need more protein than the normal individual. Each weight training session causes your muscles to be broken down and rebuilt a little stronger than they were before. If you want to progress at the fastest possible rate then you’ll need a healthy dose of daily dietary protein to fuel the process. Roughly 1 gram of protein/pound of bodyweight/day. Studies show less than 1g/lb is optimal, but this keeps the maths simple. People telling you, you need more are probably selling it to you.
Eat lots of stuff like eggs, milk, fish, beef, tuna, chicken, cheese, liver, etc. Essentially, if it comes from an animal it’s good. Pick out some high protein, animal-based foods. Then use these to meet your protein quota. If you’re healthy don’t worry about the saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods. Every bit of testosterone in your body is made from cholesterol (google “steroidogenesis” for proof).
You also need plenty of healthful fats, (eg. fish, olive oil, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, dairy products, and meats) to support and promote growth. You should eat plenty of natural, unrefined carbs such as vegetables and rice, but avoid products laden with sugar and white flour. Eat a good breakfast eg. have some milk, eat some eggs, eat a steak if you want, but get some protein. Add a little oatmeal or whole-grain bread for some low GI Index carbs. And eat some protein before you go to bed. It could be some meat, some cheese, a few hard-boiled eggs or something else solid. Solid proteins, generally, take longer to digest than liquids, giving a steady supply of amino acids to your body.
How many meals a day? There is no evidence for or against, eating anywhere from 3 to 6 meals a day. The simplest way to do it is 3 main meals and some nutritious snacks in between. There is more to be said on this topic if you are bulking or cutting. If you skimp on your nutrition you may potentially cancel ALL of the growth that you stimulated in the gym.
Rule #11: Get Plenty Of Good, Sound Sleep
Most beginners don’t realize this but let me assure you, sleep is just as important as training and nutrition when it comes to muscle growth. Critical repairs and maintenance are done by the body (muscles, organs and nervous system) when you sleep. Sleep deprivation results in reduced glucose sensitivity of the muscle cells, higher resting cortisol and decreased testosterone levels (and that’s bad). There are reasons why training, nutrition, and sleep are the “big three” keys to weight training success.
Rule #12: Immediately After Your Workouts Consume Some Carbs and Protein
After your workout, your body needs carbohydrates, protein, and electrolytes – and it needs them fast. A protein shake is an optimal way of delivering this. There is no magic bullet, Casey Butt has one in his article that is quite interestingly put together to find it Crtl+F “Nu-Salt” and read that paragraph and down. It’s basically protein powder, a magnesium tablet, some simple carbs (dextrose) and some salt. That’s just his idea, alternatives he includes are; Yogurt and Skim milk. Both high in liquid protein, and simple carbs.
Rule #13: Before Your Workouts Consume Some Protein
Recent research has shown that eating protein before your workouts are even more anabolic (as compared to training while fasted) than taking it afterward. It isn’t clear what type of protein is best …just get some.
You might want to avoid carbs before training, particularly if you’re trying to lose fat. Generally, if it’s most important to you that you lose weight then don’t eat carbs before training and if it’s most important to you to gain muscle then eat some carbs with your pre-workout protein. Studies don’t really lean either way on this and you should worry more about your lifting and less about silly details. Hit your Marcos.
Rule #14: Progression Is KING
This may be the most important rule of all so I’m going to be as clear as I can. Building bigger muscles and increased strength is not determined by training to failure, taking any supplement, using secret exercises or anything else equally, or even more, appealing. Getting bigger and stronger is a product of progressive resistance. You simply MUST improve your training performance – either by using more weight or doing more reps, particularly in the 5-20 rep range on most exercises – in order to get bigger and stronger. Training reality is as simple as that, and nothing in history or in the future has ever, or will ever, change it.
Even more simply put, if this time next year you are still using the same weights for the same reps, then you will not be any bigger (unless you get fatter). I’ve just written the most important sentence in the history of bodybuilding.
Don’t, however, use this rule to allow yourself to start cheating to lift more weight. If you have to change your technique and start cheating then you aren’t getting stronger at all. Stay “honest” or the only one you’ll be fooling is yourself.
Advanced trainees often fail to continue making gains because past the beginners’ “strength spurt” it’s practically impossible to add 5 pounds to the bar each week (the minimum weight increase possible with most weight sets or in commercial gyms). Doing an extra rep is roughly approximate to a 3% increase in strength (assuming you couldn’t do another rep), which is an impossible rate of progression to maintain in the long term. Because of this, most advanced trainees ignore the principle of progressive resistance and focus on things such as training to failure, workout variety, different exercises, etc. That’s all fine, but the fundamental law of all resistance training, which you must not be distracted from, is that of progressive resistance. If you are past the beginner stage, either get some fractional plates, so you can always add at least something to the bar, extra collars work too. Add a pound or two (or even less) to the bar and do just a little more than you did last time – otherwise, your training is not productive and is, at best, maintenance.
Alternatively, if you’re performing several sets per exercise with the same weight then you should be able to consistently add one rep to just one of those sets… provided you aren’t already at your limit and hitting failure on any one of those sets. For instance, let’s say you performed 3 sets of 10 reps with 100 lbs this week, and your last set was difficult because you were fatigued by then, but it wasn’t an absolute failure effort. Then you shouldn’t have a problem adding just one rep to the first set next week – after all, the first set isn’t that hard. In that case, you’ll do your first set with 100 lbs for 11 reps and then the next two sets at 100 lbs for 10 reps. The week after that you’d do two sets of 100×11 and one set 100×10. The next week you do all 3 sets with 100 lbs of 11 reps. Then you’d go for 12,11,11, then 12, 12, 11, etc. If you performed that lift more than once per week then you wouldn’t try to add a rep every session, just once per week. So if you did an exercise on Monday and again on Thursday, you wouldn’t try to add a rep on Thursday, you’d just repeat Monday’s workout again with the same sets, reps, and weight and wait until next Monday to add the extra rep again. This is a sustainable rate of progression. Even though it might seem “gentle” and perhaps even easy at first, you won’t get away with trying to add a rep more than once a week for any amount of time. This is about the long game. At the more advanced stages, you may not even be able to repeat the same workout twice. In that case, you’d have to train lighter on the second day so as to avoid overtraining. If you’re following a full-body routine you might have to impose a heavy/light/medium scheme on your weekly training – Monday could be your “heavy” day, Wednesday would be “light” day (with about 75% of the weight you used on Monday for the same number of sets and reps) and Friday would be your “medium” day (with about 85% of Monday’s weight for the same number of sets and reps). Regardless of how you do it, you’d only go for a rep increase on one set, once a week. When you get to 3 sets of 12 reps with the same weight you’d add 5-10 pounds and start the procedure over at 3 sets of 8 reps. So your next phase would be… 105lbsx8, 105×8 105×8, then next week 105×9 105×8 105×8, then 9,9,8 then 9,9,9 etc.
At this rate – starting out at 3 sets of 8 reps and adding just one rep per week until you get to 3 sets of 12 reps, then adding 5 lbs and starting over at 3 sets of 8 reps again – in one year you’ll have added 20 lbs(~10kg) to your working weight. That’s for “lighter” exercises where you’re handling 100 lbs or so… a 20% increase in workload in one year. On heavier exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, and perhaps Bench Presses you could try going up by 10 lbs when you reach 3 sets of 12 reps. That would be a 40 lb(~20kg) increase in a year. For a drug-free trainee, especially past the beginner’s stage, that’s some good going. You should use websites like Streghtcalc to tell you went you are leaving the beginner stage of weightlifting.
The end of the novice stage for myself(Nerf) is 165lbs(75kg), just slightly under my weight 79kgs. Let’s say you can Bench Press 155 lbs for 3 sets of 8 reps now – the last set being “tough” but not your extreme limit. If you added just 20lbs(~10kg) a year for 3 years you’d be handling 215(~100kg) for 3 sets of 8 on the Bench Press. In five years you’d be Bench Pressing 255(~120kg) for 3 sets of 8. And, don’t forget, that’s for three sets. Your true max for one set of 8 would probably be at least 265 lbs – that translates to over 320lb(~150kg) for one rep on the Bench Press. If you could add 10 lbs each time you reached 3 sets of 12 reps then you’d be up to using over 355lbs(~160kg) for sets of 8 on the Bench Press – your one-rep max would be well over 400lbs(~180kg) in less than five years. Don’t think that’s impressive? Think you can do it faster? Rather stick to your hit-and-miss training routine? See you in a few years and you can reflect on the time you wasted and how much further ahead you would have been if you had followed a long-term, a sustainable program such as this. The human body just cannot be forced to adapt faster than its genetically determined rate. In fact, for most of you, adding 10 lbs every time you reach 3 sets of 12 reps won’t be possible most of the time – you’ll have to stick to 5 lb increases for the majority of your cycles (sometimes you’ll feel stronger and be able to go up by 10 lbs, sometimes you won’t). Don’t get greedy and try to force progression too fast – it comes as the body allows, not necessarily how you’d like.
The scheme outlined above is the classic double progression training scheme that was used by practically every successful bodybuilder of the pre-drug era. When used with lower reps (anywhere from 1 to 5 reps per set and for 3 to 5 total “working” sets), It’s sustainable (provided you don’t start off too heavy) and it works.
But these are just two examples of how to implement performance progression; no matter how you choose to go about it, the progression of workload is the be-all and end-all of productive training. Never allow yourself to forget that or your training will be hit-or-miss, at best. All the other “rules” are irrelevant without progression of training load.
Rule #15: Stick To A Routine As Long As It’s Still Working, But No Longer
Moving to an “advanced” routine before one is ready is one of the most common mistakes in bodybuilding.
Make sure you truly plateau on any effective routine before you move on to the next one. For beginners and intermediates, a productive cycle may run for many months. k to a routine as long as it’s still working (i.e. your training weights, reps and/or muscle mass are increasing), but no longer. When you do hit a legitimate plateau, then change your rep count, set number, or even exercises themselves and start over, slowly and deliberately building up your training loads and performances again. Don’t get hung up on “this rep range is for hypertrophy and that rep range is for strength”. The fact is, if you’re not improving in a given rep range then, for now at least, it’s good for nothing. Whatever you do, don’t switch from a sound, basic routine to some exotic bullshit you found in the mainstream bodybuilding media Stick to mostly free-weight compound exercises. Perhaps switch Bench Presses to Incline Presses, Squats to Front Squats etc.
Rule #16: Keep A Training Log
Always record your poundages, sets, and reps. “The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory.” -Chinese proverb
Rule #14 warns, the ultimate determinant will be whether or not you can continue, though gradually, increase your training poundages. If you don’t keep track of your performances, how can you know if you’re improving or not? You can’t. If you can on days you feel in the zone, add an extra rep, but be careful, not to push too hard. Better start next cycle with 10lbs then add in reps left and right. Push yourself, but don’t kill yourself. When you go home, take out your training log and review how you did that day. Resolve that, come hell or high water, you will do better next time.
Rule #17: Get Real
This is where we talk about what you can expect and so it’s a lot longer than most of the other sections.
I know you want to have the body of your dreams and you want it now. I know you want to have all the pretty girls smiling at you and all the guys in awe of your strength and you want to take the fastest possible route to get there. And since there’s so much conflicting advice and information in the bodybuilding world, you don’t know who to trust or who to listen to. What about so-and-so who says if I buy his instantly downloadable “get huge muscles fast” program for just $34.95 I can gain 30 to 50 pounds of muscle in a few months?
Let me tell you, once again, that’s all bullshit. I’ve trained in gyms all over the world and have corresponded with some of the most knowledgeable and successful people in the world with regards to drug-free training. In those years of heavy involvement with the Iron Game I’ve never seen or heard of anyone who built that much muscle without being emaciated, or very young (and therefore not fully grown), to start.
People who talk up their body fat percentages given by skin-fold and BIA testing have a 4% error, ie. 16% could be anywhere from 12-20%. Different people hold weight differently. The more heavily muscled a person is the more affect hydration levels have on readings on body fat tests. Once the musle mass is built it can be more quickly regained after taking a break say due to an illness or injury, You are better off giving yourself resting than working through the pain.
So what can you expect? Let’s look at some extreme examples; (1)Bill Pearl, gained 25 lbs in 3 months, on his first steroid cycle, he was one of the most genetically gifted bodybuilders in history and was on 3x the maximum dose of the drug. (2)Steve Reeves is said to have built 30 lbs in 4 months. Drug-free as a growing boy. Who as per the last paragraph was rebuilding what he already had after contracting malaria in the army? Once again, as with most world famous(at the time) athletes, he was a genetic freak. This rebuilding is commonly called ‘muscle memory’. (3)Reg Park is said to have put on 25lbs in 10 months. Starting that period when he was 20, hormones not fully settled, having previously trained at 17. one of the most massively muscled and strongest drug-free bodybuilders of all time – he also trained on one of the soundest bodybuilding programs possible …yet it took him 10 months to develop what most naive beginners think they can gain in a few months or even weeks.
At there, peaks standing over 6ft(180cm) Steve Reeves and Reg Park, only carried about 35 to 38 pounds of muscle more than the average untrained man of the same height. Both took several years to reach their maximum development. A mordern era bodybulider Dave Goodin, claims it took him 20 years to achieve his perfectly multi award winning physique (about 30lbs of muscle at 5’7″(167cm)). Majority of the muscle gain happened in the first few year. If you are aiming to be on stage like these men think 8-10 years, I know that sucks, but if you follow the “rules” presented here you just might cut that time in half (or even better). If you don’t follow the “rules”, then I hope you’ve got lots of patience (which you’ll need in any case).
Still believe the con man who wants to sell you his secret to gaining 50 pounds of muscle by summer? Get Real.
Realistically The fastest rate of muscle gain without anabolic drugs I’ve seen in previously well-nourished adults in a clinical research setting is 6.76 g/kg of lean body mass per week. Most trainees don’t achieve half that amount. But if you want an ambitious goal to shoot for – something that’s actually based on reality and not some childish delusion – multiply your lean body mass by 0.006754 and that’ll tell you how many pounds of muscle you can possibly expect to gain per week in the first twelve weeks or so of serious training. If you don’t know your lean body mass here’s a general guideline: A genetically gifted male of 180 pounds at 15% body fat (an average body fat level for an active, healthy young man) can gain a maximum of about 1 pound of muscle per week for the first 12 weeks of serious bodybuilding training. Almost no man is naturally big enough to gain 1.5 pounds of muscle per week. Most men will be lucky to gain 0.5 pounds. After twelve weeks or so your rate of gain will start to slow down to half the initial amount. In another twelve weeks it’ll be half that again. In his first year of bodybuilding training, under ideal conditions, our genetically gifted individual of average height and bone structure would gain about 20 pounds of muscle. If you’re not genetically gifted (and you’re probably not), go back and read Rule #3 again and remember that it takes most drug-free trainees 10 years to increase their lean body mass by 17% to 25% (and those numbers come from a compiled study of hundreds to thousands of trainees).
What to expect as far as bodyfat goes; A large number of people on the internet will tell you that they are at about 8-10% at all times. This is bullshit. Bodybuilders who have been in the game for years can achieve 5% on competetion days, essintial fat levels for males range from 2-5%. 5% can’t be maintianed for more then a few days, without becoming sick. Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed to compete at 9% bodyfat in the 70’s. Anyone, claiming to walk around day to day with less then what Arnold (steroid user) was competing on is full of shit, or misinformed.
Casey’s 2 decades of severious involvement with bodybuilding, “I’ve seen a few legitimate 400+ pounds Bench Pressers. All but three of them were on steroids and they were well over 200 pounds and at least 15+% body fat.” Bench Press World recorder holder is John Dolan– a specialist weighing over 310 pounds and well above 20% body fat. He benched 573.2lbs. Most genetically average trainees will never bench 300lbs(135kg). Those that do, they stand out from the start with having big bones (wrists over 7.25in(18cm) in circumfance), and they definetaly don’t do it at <12% bodyfat. Now don’t mentally damn yourself from the get-go because of what I just said – after all, perhaps you will be one of those who goes on to surpass the 300-pound raw, drug-free bench press mark – but do keep in mind that for the average trainee such an accomplishment isn’t the “walk in the park” most deceptive or delusion sources would have you believe.
The truth is 20 pounds of real, permanent muscle would transform your body. Most magazines and websites make it seem like 20 pounds of muscle is nothing …like your grandmother could gain that much. The reality is, if you gain 20 pounds of muscle this year everyone will notice and they’ll probably whisper behind your back that you’re on steroids – my friends did and I didn’t gain nearly that much in any one year. Gain 30 pounds of muscle (above your normal, healthy adult weight) and you’ll be carrying as much muscle as a world-class drug-free bodybuilder. Even 10 pounds would put another inch on your arms. The body of your dreams is attainable and it’s waiting for you to come get it, but it probably weighs less than you think right now.
Rule #18; Keep Things In Perspective
For all it’s positive traits, bodybuilding can destroy lives just as surely as it can enrich them. Each year countless young men start down an obsessive, destructive path because they let bodybuilding consume their lives and they lose all perspective of what’s truly important. They allow obsession to destroy their relationships, their education, their jobs and their health. Just because you’ve been bitten by the Iron Bug, don’t neglect your studies, your work, your health, your family or your friends. In the long run, these are the important things in your life, not how you look or how strong you are.
I[Nerf] have harped on about Reg Park for about 20,000 chars now. Here are his last words of bodybuilding before he died.
“Stay away from drugs, stay away growth hormones, stay away from steroids …Life goes by too quickly, and before you turn around it’s all over. If you don’t squeeze the last ounce of life out of you, of your life here on Earth with a good wife and a good family, then what are are you doing here? People in hospital are crying out for what you’ve got. Don’t abuse it.” – Reg Park
What you must do now is absorb the “rules” right down to the subconscious level. Hammer them into your brain. Never forget them and make them a part of your psyche. Forget the sensational commercially-driven bullshit you’ve been fed by the supplement, magazine and internet bodybuilding industries. I know much of what I’ve said here is very blunt and certainly not “pretty”, but it’s as true as anything you’ll ever hear. Remember, I’ve devoted most of my adult life to the Iron Game, and I intend to devote much of the rest of it as well. But one thing I won’t tolerate is bullshit, and I won’t play the game merely for the sake of being popular or making money.
ilmengine 
